Category Archives: Purdy, NY

Post navigation

I think legislation needs to be passed to hold Yelpers accountable for gross negligence of opinion. I mean to call this burger the “best burger in Westchester” is criminal. Worse still, some dolt actually went so far as to say “in the world.” Yes, maybe in your tiny little world that stretches from Purdy to Croton to Yorktown Heights, but in the ACTUAL world, this burger is terrorism on a bun.

For starters, the meat itself is egregious. Dry, overworked and overcooked, crumbling apart like Tom Brady’s alibi. Plus, the patty is way too small for the hard roll they serve it on, throwing the balance completely off. Well, that would’ve been the case had there been any semblance of balance to begin with, because all of the proportions are FUBAR on the Blazer Burger (pictured). Too much of everything except the actual burger itself, drowning in caramelized onions, a thick, flavorless beefsteak tomato, jarred pickles, crispy bacon and romaine.

The Celsius Burger might’ve been even worse, because it didn’t even have the benefit of syphoning moisture off of the onions. Luckily I had a plethora, so I shared. Otherwise I think we would’ve eaten even less than we actually did.

Oh, and speaking of not finishing, don’t even get me started on the “French Fries.” Basically a pile of two by fours made of potato with zero seasoning. We ordered a medium plate for four people and after we were finished there was still enough fries to serve our leftovers as a medium portion to four people, and that would’ve still been considered a large portion in my opinion.

The Guinness on tap is bitter, the lemonade is Snapple and the décor is a dump. Granted that’s intended to be part of its charm. It didn’t work (charmed would not be a word I would use to describe how I felt). About the only thing that was working at The Blazer was our waitress. No complaints on service. But why people flock here is beyond me. And flock they did. Gobbling up this dog food as if the antidote was in it. And perhaps it is, because you’d have to be sick to think this place is deserving of four stars.

This is a tale of two visits. Two vastly different experiences, primarily due to the service. The first time it was literally one of the highest points of the meal. Our waitress was amazing. Attentive. Helpful with the kids. Accommodating. Warm. My only nit was toward the end of the meal, when the kids were reaching meltdown, she took an awfully long time with the bill. But since she was so incredible up to that point, I let it slide.

The second time, even though we had a reservation, they made us wait, even though the table was empty when we arrived. Then, it took over 20 minutes and us having to ask, before a server finally came to take our orders. Upon delivering those orders they were often incorrect in virtually every way possible. For example, when the oysters came, they were served with only 2 forks even though there were three people. Drinks came after appetizers. Bread was never brought to the table. And other orders were completely forgotten. Oh, and once again it took forever to get the check, even after asking multiple times. I literally wanted to walk out without paying I was so annoyed. Instead I exacted my revenge with a commensurate tip.

But inconsistent service aside, I still do like the place because the seafood is quite good (and the fact that the owner has his own fish market in the city doesn’t hurt). I mean, not everything is excellent, but the highs are so high, it almost makes up for the frustrations above. But if the service is ever like that again, it might just be a deal-breaker.

As for decor it’s quaint and charming. Both times sat on the patio of the white house, over-looking the garden. And both times we took the kids for a walk around back to see the farm while we waited for our food.

So now let’s do a deeper dive into the food, there were three dishes that were out of this world.

1. The swordfish with balsamic sauce and garden fresh veggies was so fresh and delicious. It had these these tiny little tomatoes that exploded in your mouth like those little fireworks in Ratatouille, adding layers of depth to a dish that was already perfectly cooked.

2. The frozen key lime pie was a nice twist on one of my favorites. Striking a nice balance between tart and sweet.

3. The white chocolate bread pudding with salted caramel ice cream. My god! It was so damn good I nearly fell over into the citronella candle behind me.

Honorable mentions would include the lobster roll, one of the best in Westchester and the oysters. Raspberries go to the Caesar salad which is not served with a true Caesar dressing. Typical creamy crap you find at most places these days.

And falling somewhere in between, the halibut with corn risotto was just okay. As was the big eye tuna. Granted, the tuna was remarkably fresh. Melted in my mouth. But when the recipe says “Szechuan” I expect a little more heat.

But all nits aside, Purdy’s definitely has game on the plate. They just need to work on the spotty service, because really does detract from the experience.